Counterfeit Angry Birds toy operation crushed

A supposed counterfeit Angry Birds toy operation in the US has been broken up.

According to DNAinfo.com, the alleged illegal toy ring had been supplying fake Angry Birds and Disney merchandise to stores in Flushing, Queens, New York.

The District Attorney’s office said three men were caught and charged with first-degree trademark counterfeiting, a charge which could put them in prison for 15 years.

According to the complaint, Epstein Drangel LLP, the IP firm representing Angry Birds owner Rovio Entertainment and Disney Enterprise, hired a provide investigator to go undercover at a warehouse.

He bought several counterfeit toys and merchandise, with the total value of said products worth an estimated $500,000.

"The defendants are accused of not running some small mum and dad operation but, rather, a well-organised business that catered to retailers throughout the metropolitan area," District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement.

"Such trademark counterfeiting defrauds the toy industry of millions of dollars in worldwide revenue and rips off honest consumers who purchase these fake and typically shoddily-made toys."

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